10 Reasons Highlighting the Importance of Mental Health Awareness Among Students

“How are you feeling?” - asked no Indian parent ever.

“How much have you studied?” - Ah, now we’re talking.

But wait, feet off the accelerator, mother. My ADHD is preventing me from taking any questions at this point.

“AD What?”, asks the veritable mothership, confused by the misaligned letters.

For Indian parents, any disorder, any label, they don’t ask questions. It’s a trauma-only, empathy-later kind of situation.

Take my mother, for instance. She has deposited more slaps on my face than people deposit money into accounts. Wait. Did I hear “petty offence”?

My eardrum is still ringing from that stinging “thappad”.

Any excuses promptly evaporated post this point - as did any shred of shame, guilt, and any other measurable quantity of accountability - because if there’s one thing that Indian students have, it’s really thick skin.

Also, nothing about Indian parenting is petty, except the concern they have for their children.

For students, mental health is a word that they have to throw at the school nurse when they have to go home, to put in more hours studying - otherwise, who else goes home early, and for what?

You know what’s a more compelling challenge for students here? Trying to figure out how to win the rat race, and get into IIT to be King Rat, presiding over millions of other hope-fools, or comprehending the extent of their mental health damage.

A total lack of care when it comes to mental health. Do you have good mental health? Great. Do you have bad mental health? What is bad mental health? Is it like bad luck that’ll disappear at like 2 pm? Evaporating with the rest of your anxiety?

Despite the current strides in mental health around the world, we still hear society say, “Why do you look depressed? Go outside and make some friends and play with them”.

There is a distinct gap when it comes to understanding mental well-being, when it comes to students and their parents. Academic excellence is a whole different story, however. Mental well-being is directly proportional to academic performance.

Are you sad? You learn. Are you happy? You learn. Are you dying? Good!! You learn better because death brings with it urgency.

What is studying if it hasn’t been done under sub-human conditions, at an unearthly hour in the morning, when the only people awake are Jesus and the bedbugs.

Ask any Indian student whether they’re a morning or a night person, and they’ll most likely hit you with “Chemistry Person”.

Unbeknownst to all, mental well-being plays a huge role in academic success. In India, no wonder all the students turn out to be excellent cricketers - because from a young age, they’re taught to excel under pressure.

By the time they’re fifteen, they have already had a visit from their best friend - the dreaded academic burnout. Accompanied by the heady cocktail of stress, anxiety and whatnot.

An emotionally balanced student is better focused, with a good memory and motivation, which directly impacts their performance. An emotionally balanced student can focus better, is more resilient and can navigate challenges better.

Unfortunately, the only thing that accompanies mental health in India is the all-too-well-known stigma. The society just doesn’t know how to foster a supportive environment. For them to read distress signs, it’ll have to be spelt out in “Concise Biology”

If we have to shatter the stigma around mental health in India, there is a lot of work to be done. First, we will have to de-stigmatise the whole term, mental health. When was the last time your parents asked you, “Have you gone mad?”

It’s as if mental health is something that you can switch on and off like a light switch. In India, if that “mad” term is thrown at you, you can’t even start to defend yourself.

Breaking the stigma around anything requires thinking with an open mind and a modicum of research, something which is outside the locus of understanding for Indian parents.

In India, students usually feel shy to seek help for mental health concerns, thanks to a layer of stigma, the fear of being judged or a total lack of awareness. Early intervention is crucial - it can prevent small issues from blowing up into huge disorders.

Schools and colleges must foster open conversations, normalise therapy, and give easy access to counsellors. Parents play an important role too, listening without criticism, and showing empathy, which can make a huge difference.

Peer support groups, awareness workshops and campaigns can help students speak up. A safe, accepting environment is important to foster timely support and promote emotional well-being.

Today, we have high-pressure academic environments, where building resilience in students is crucial for navigating stress, competition, and setbacks. If students are resilient, they can come back from setbacks.

They can adapt to challenges without losing motivation or self-worth. To foster this, educational institutions must concentrate on holistic development, besides academic performance.

Things like life skills training, mindfulness sessions, and stress management know-how can give students practical coping mechanisms. It is up to teachers and mentors to encourage a growth mindset, converting mistakes into learning opportunities.

A supportive peer culture also plays an important role - students don’t feel alone when they see others facing similar challenges. Parents must also shift their focus from marks to overall well-being.

On being taught to manage pressure, maintain balance and regulate emotions, students become more confident and emotionally strong. Isn’t that something we all desire? The importance of mental health in a student's life is not just a phrase - it is a burning necessity

1. Enhances focus and academic achievement

There is a direct link between better focus and academic performance. Emotionally-balanced students can focus better, retain information better and can be motivated to reach academic goals.

If anxiety, depression and chronic stress impair memory and attention span, leading to poor academic performance. Positively thinking helps cognitive functions, permitting students to study with clarity and confidence.

Schools and colleges must prioritise mental health through counselling, stress relief, and an inclusive, pressure-sensitive academic environment.

Emphasis should not just be on marks, and parents should be understanding when times get tough. Mentally supported students are better engaged and perform to their full potential.

2. Promotes emotional regulation and stability

Mental stability and emotional regulation and stability are interconnected. When students are mentally okay, they figure out and manage their emotions, tackle stress calmly and ensure healthy relationships.

This emotional balance assists them in managing academic pressure, personal challenges and peer interactions better. Schools that give safe spaces, counselling and awareness programs help students build coping skills and how to be resolute.

Parents also must foster open conversations and stop dismissing their child’s feelings. Emotional regulation early in life is good for long-term mental health and overall personal growth.

3. Strengthens interpersonal relationships and social skills

Good mental health is absolutely essential for strong interpersonal relationships and social skills. Emotionally secure and self-aware students are better communicators, with more empathy and better conflict management.

Good mental well-being permits them to take part in group activities, make friends and ask for help when required.

Educational institutions can help by encouraging collaborative learning, peer support and open conversations around mental intelligence.

Back home, parents must help with communication and active listening. Social connections = social currency, and a support system, helping students thrive.

4. Reduces the risk of anxiety and depression

Giving care to mental health from a tender age reduces the risk of depression and anxiety among students.

If emotional well-being is fostered, students are better equipped to navigate academic stress, peer pressure and personal challenges - all without being pressured.

Some schools that offer mental health resources, open discussions and safe spaces help students feel seen and supported. Proper self-care, healthy routines and access to counselling are great for resilience.

Parents give emotional validation and support, instead of criticism. Proactively approaching mental health prevents disorders and helps long-term emotional stability and growth.

5. Encourages healthy lifestyle choices

Making healthy lifestyle choices is exactly what it is - a choice. Students must be encouraged to drop bad habits and foster good ones, for the sake of their mental health.

A healthy lifestyle choice is an easy habit that one can foster, instead of picking up bad habits during their student life.

The guy who sells those tasty, filthy digestive tidbits wheels his cart right outside the school gate - it is imperative that students avoid that cart, like the plague.

It is easy to make the easy choice - choosing the bad thing. Making the right choice is what’s tough. While it is important to foster good habits, what is vital is that students give it time.

Any good habit takes a few days to form - impatience does not help. After all, where mental health is concerned, good things take time.

6. Fosters self-awareness and personal growth

Students are encouraged by mental well-being to be more self-aware and reflective, assisting them in understanding their thoughts, strengths, emotions and limitations.

This helps them to make informed choices, cultivate confidence, and build their identity. As they progress emotionally, they get better equipped to set realistic goals and seek personal growth, going beyond academics.

Journaling, mindfulness and open conversations can help with self-discovery. When schools and parents foster emotional exploration, students become well-rounded, handling success and failure with panache, so they become lifelong learners and develop themselves.

7. Improves decision-making and problem-solving abilities

Students who have superior mental well-being have better decision-making and problem-solving abilities. That is because they are highly attuned to themselves, possessing a modicum of self-awareness.

They allow themselves to make better decisions, making the better choice consistently. A confident mind will make better decisions and solve issues better.

Students who realise this foster their own mental development. One cannot make bad decisions just by choice alone. Sometimes students find it tough to choose the right thing. A light reset would help in this regard.

8. Supports adaptability in changing environments

If there’s something that students are good at, it is attaining adaptability in changing environments.

Change, if nothing else, is constant, and students adapting to this know that to go with the flow is the best thing, instead of getting stuck in one place, simply because their inhibitions and mindset did not allow them to adapt to change.

With good mental health, students are able to adapt better to new and constantly changing environments, whether it is going between grades, changing to online learning, or just adjusting to college life.

If they are stable in mindset, they can manage uncertainty, stress and are better learners from setbacks.

9. Contributes to overall life satisfaction and well-being

Possessing mental well-being ensures overall life satisfaction. If you are less worried about life, then you will thrive, instead of marinating in your tension constantly.

This is what Indian students need to learn. Being satisfied is one thing, being happy is a completely different thing. You can keep pursuing happiness, like Will Smith in the eponymous movie, but somewhere along the way, if you run into satisfaction, you’d be better off.

Happiness is not a fish that you can catch. Satisfaction, on the other hand, is something you can strive for, and ensure you are level-headed, going into each day with renewed vigour.

Don’t chase trends - chase excellence, and everything else will follow. And yes - stay away from mediocrity - that is the poison that will ruin everything.

10. Prepares students for future professional and personal challenges

Being mentally prepared for future professional and personal challenges is easy enough if you are in a good space, mentally. It is easy to get stuck in a quagmire of worries.

Demarcating what you should be prioritising is imperative if you want to be well-rounded in a professional setup. Challenges are nothing but opportunities to prove yourself.

If you are faced with a tough situation, you need to buckle up and face the truth, rather than pussyfooting and taking stress about it. After all, the future is where you need to be, right?

1. Integrating mental health education into the curriculum

The only way an Indian student will read something is if it is written in a book. Did you hear about that student who was assigned one day in therapy? They got lost and landed on maths tuition.

Integrating mental health into the curriculum will give students a chance to appreciate its importance. If they learn about mental health, they will value and take care of their mental health, without taking it for granted.

Good mental health is a state of mind, not just a social construct, so the sooner students learn that, the better for them. What could start with mild curiosity might just evolve into a full-blown understanding of just how mental health works.

2. Organising workshops and seminars on mental well-being

Organising workshops and seminars on mental well-being gives students a chance to engage with some mental health professionals.

Workshops are a great opportunity for students to express themselves, while being a great platform for therapists to do their thing.

Practising psychiatrists, too, can make an appearance at such seminars, so students can understand the difference between psychology and psychiatry, and know who to consult when they run into a problem.

The learning environment in India is not conducive to mental well-being, so students would do well to detach themselves occasionally, to make sense of things.

3. Establishing peer support groups and counselling services

Peer support groups and accessible counselling services in educational institutions can greatly improve students’ mental well-being.

Peer groups are a safe, relatable space where students can exchange experiences, bring down loneliness and foster empathy. Counselling, led by trained counsellors, offers support for killing stress, anxiety and other emotional challenges.

Together, such resources foster a culture of openness and early intervention. When students realise assistance is available and judgement-free, they will seek it.

Peer and professional support fosters a better and more connected student community that is better emotionally and academically.

1. Creating a supportive and inclusive campus environment

Inclusivity is fostered when students are taught about equality. When they learn that other beings are lives they must value, then the environment on campus automatically gets better.

When the environment is better, students will learn how to adapt and evolve and lead better lives. They will develop the tools to manage anxiety and depression, as well as other mental disorders, better, so that their mental health improves incrementally.

Support can come from other students and faculty members, who can teach students how to manage their own mental health and take care of others as well.

2. Training faculty and staff to recognise mental health issues

If faculty and staff are taught how to recognise and manage mental health issues, they will be able to help students deal with their own issues, and can provide empathy for the same.

Equipping staff and faculty with the know-how to catch early signs of mental health issues in students is important for creating a supportive educational environment. Teachers often interact with students daily and are in the best position to catch behavioural changes, emotional distress, or academic decline.

Via proper training, they can respond with empathy, help students with resource appropriation, and help bring down crises. This stance fosters trust and ensures timely support.

If educators are mentally health-aware, they ensure a safer, more inclusive campus. Students feel seen, understood and encouraged to prioritise emotional well-being as well as academic success.

3. Implementing policies that prioritise student well-being

Institutions play an important role in shaping student mental health by putting in place policies that actively encourage emotional and psychological well-being.

This includes flexible deadlines, mental wellness leave, access to counselling and zero-tolerance for discrimination or bullying.

When well-being is embedded into institutional policies, it gives students the sign that their mental health is as important as their academic performance. Such policies foster a compassionate and inclusive environment, so students feel safe and empowered to seek help and support.

By encouraging student well-being at a policy level, schools and colleges lay the foundation for long-term academic and personal success.

In conclusion, ensuring mental health awareness is imperative if students want to achieve success later in life.

There’s a chasm between mental well-being and academic expectations in most Indian households. The equation looks like this:

Poor mental health = Poor grades = More pressure = Worse mental health.

It’s a vicious circle that changes students into sleepless zombies, memorising thermodynamics equations at 4 AM, their emotions quietly bleeding into their pillow.

Let’s face it. In Indian households, mental health is a taboo phrase.

In no order of importance, we need to -

• Normalise conversations about mental health.

• Stop saying therapy is a weakness.

• Show parents that “madness” is not a label for emotional struggle.

• Foster open-mindedness, over judgment.

The ongoing journey towards mental well-being in academia

Attaining mental well-being in academia is constant and evolving. It needs a humongous effort from students, parents and educators to ensure empathy, bring down stigma and put health as a priority.

By fostering open dialogue, resilience and supportive environments, academic spaces can become nurturing spaces for intellectual and emotional growth.

Encouraging proactive steps for mental health awareness

Taking proactive steps for ensuring mental health awareness means fostering open conversations, early intervention and creating supportive communities.

Educational institutions, workplaces and families must put emotional well-being on top through awareness programs, peer support networks and accessible mental health resources.

By making help-seeking normal and catching the signs of distress early on, we can foster a culture where mental health gets the same urgency as physical health, ultimately ensuring healthier, more resilient people and communities.

Q. Why is mental health important in student life?

A. Mental health is important in student life because it directly affects a student's ability to concentrate, manage academic stress, build relationships, and succeed both in school and in life. Good mental health supports better decision-making, resilience, and overall well-being during critical learning years.

Q. Why is mental health important?

A. Mental health is especially important for teens as they go through emotional, physical, and social changes. Strong mental health helps teenagers cope with stress, develop self-esteem, maintain healthy relationships, and navigate challenges like peer pressure and academic demands.

Q. Why is mental health important for teens?

A. Mental health is especially important for teens as they go through emotional, physical, and social changes. Strong mental health helps teenagers cope with stress, develop self-esteem, maintain healthy relationships, and navigate challenges like peer pressure and academic demands.

Q. How positive is mental health for students?

A. Positive mental health improves students' academic performance, self-confidence, and social skills.